More land-based opportunitiesLuke McCredden | First Published: July 2017

The cold has set in and there has been an emergence of land-based anglers along the peninsula. The beauty of land-based fishing opportunities along the Mornington Peninsula, in the cold weather, is that we can still catch good numbers and, as soon as it gets too cold or wet, we can hop straight back in the car and go find a warm fireplace and hot coffee!

It’s not just the keenest of anglers that are braving the elements and having success. The gummy shark fishery continues to be strong for boaties fishing the south channels. Symonds Channel is producing a mixed bag of gummies, flathead and whiting.

Squid

Once again, land-based captures are as frequent in numbers and size as the boat anglers at the moment. Probably based on more land-based anglers actually fishing. Mornington Pier has been a consistent spot for calamari so far this winter, as well as the rocks along Mt Martha and Portsea Pier.

Don’t be afraid to use large jigs even in the shallower parts of the bay. These squid are still going to be feeding, but sometimes need the jigs presented as clear as day and often right in front of their noses. I really love the browns and red jigs at this time of year. Nearly always, there is going to be cloud cover and these darker reds and browns really come into their own.

Another little tip when the squid are being picky is to attach a small clip to the end of your line, ensuring the easiest of changeovers when you want to swap jigs. Changing colours and styles of jig fairly frequently has been a constant through winter. Getting the right combination of jig, size and colour is crucial to finding the bite. And let’s face it, we want results quickly when we are fishing in freezing temps!

King George Whiting

There has been a slight dip in whiting numbers recently. This could be a combination of less angling, cold water, fish spreading out a bit, or all of the above. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of fish in the area. As mentioned in previous reports, don’t be afraid to move around and make many drops. This could be after 10-15 minutes of fishing per spot.

The fish at the moment are seemingly in smaller schools and spread out a little. More work is required, but results are still highly achievable. Best baits are proving to be really fresh baits with lots of scent to them. Fresh calamari strips are hard to beat, but then having said that, a pinch of pilchard or pipi to really give it some scent is the perfect combination.

Australian Salmon

Aussie salmon are patrolling Port Phillip Bay in a big way. The salmon are moving in large schools all the way around the bay. Frankston, for whatever reason, is a holding spot for them. While they may not be there daily, the schools that move in to that area tend to hang around for a couple of days at a time.

Key to finding these fish is all about the visual aspect. Keep your eyes on the surface of the water, and/or birds. These salmon are on the move in hunt mode 24/7. They are following bait schools as they move through the bay. While there haven’t been many reports of huge bust ups per say, there are some really good reports about finding the salmon schools and having epic sessions on them.

Metal slugs are a must, but don’t count out small poppers and stickbaits for some visual and aerial fun! Another little tip, if you are in between squid drifts or whiting moves, while underway, slowly troll some small skirts or hardbodies and you just may come across these schools.

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Squidding has been very consistent over the last few weeks.

There’s nothing much better than freshly caught calamari to make a trip out in winter worthwhile.